A new study based on more than 20 years’ of data from forests in Panama and Malaysia says climate change could force a 50 per cent reduction in the rate that tropical trees grow, severely eroding or even eliminating their ability to cleanse the air of carbon dioxide.

The Bush administration has consistently thwarted efforts by the World Bank to include global warming in its calculations, according to documents made public through a watchdog. On one occasion, the White House's pointman at the bank, the now disgraced Paul Wolfowitz, personally intervened to remove the words “climate change” from the title of a bank progress report and ordered changes to the text of the report to shift the focus away from global warming.

Measurements by the USNational Snow and Ice Data Center showed the extent of sea ice on August 8 was almost 30% below the long-term average. Researchers have forecast ice-free summers in the Arctic by 2040.

Citing an internal briefing paper for ministers, the Guardian newspaper reported that under current policies it would be “challenging” for Britain to reach a target of 9% for energy renewables such as wind, solar or hydropower - well short of the EU's 2020 target of 20%, but up from the current 2%.

Democracy is utterly dependent upon an electorate that is accurately informed. In promoting climate change denial (and often denying their responsibility for doing so) industry has done more than endanger the environment. It has undermined democracy.

There is a vast difference between putting forth a point of view, honestly held, and intentionally sowing the seeds of confusion. Free speech does not include the right to deceive. Deception is not a point of view. And the right to disagree does not include a right to intentionally subvert the public awareness.